Maryland women indicted in 'exorcism' slayings of children

ROCKVILLE, Md., March 13 (Reuters) - Two Maryland women accused of killing two children they believed were possessed by demons were indicted on Thursday on multiple counts of murder, authorities said.

Zakieya Avery, 28, and Monifa Sanford, 21, were each indicted by a grand jury on two counts of first degree murder and two counts of attempted first degree murder, the State's Attorney for Montgomery County, Maryland, said in a statement.

Prosecutors have said that on Jan. 17 the women strangled and stabbed to death Avery's 1-year-old son and 2-year-old daughter after believing they saw the children's eyes turn black, which they took to be a sign of demonic possession.

The women were accused of attempting to murder Avery's other children, a 5-year-old girl and 8-year old boy, by stabbing them. The children were found in a townhouse in Germantown, Maryland, where they lived with both women.

Trial dates have not been set. (Reporting by Alice Popovici; Editing by Scott Malone, Toni Reinhold)

We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of the Thomson Reuters Foundation. For more information see our Acceptable Use Policy.

In a camp for displaced Rohingya Muslims residents frequent bamboo “internet huts” where they can communicate with relatives who left the country, escaping the violence that led to 200 deaths and left over 140,000 homeless in 2012